Young Boozer

Young Jacob Boozer III (born November 23, 1948) is an American public servant currently serving as the 41st State Treasurer of Alabama, an office to which he was appointed by Governor Kay Ivey in 2021. He was previously the 39th State Treasurer, serving between 2011 and 2019.

Boozer is a member of the National Association of State Treasurers (NAST), serving as Chair of the Banking and Cash Management Committee. He also serves on the Governance Committee of the College Savings Plans Network. In 2019, he received the Lucille Maurer Award for outstanding service to NAST.

Early life and education Boozer was born in Birmingham and raised in Tuscaloosa. He became an Eagle Scout in 1962. He earned a bachelor's degree in economics in 1971 from Stanford University and a master's degree in finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in 1973.

Boozer was named after his father and grandfather. His father played football for the University of Alabama, and is a member of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame and the Alabama Business Hall of Fame. His grandfather was mayor of Samson, Alabama, from 1916 to 1919.

Career

Prior to serving in public office, Boozer spent 35 years in banking, finance and investments, which took him from Citibank in New York and Crocker National Bank in Los Angeles to Coral Petroleum in Houston and Colonial Bank in Montgomery. From 2003 to 2017, he was a part-owner of the Montgomery Biscuits, a minor-league affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays. In 2002, Boozer was recognized with the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award by the Boy Scouts of America.

Treasurer of Alabama After completing his second consecutive term as Treasurer in 2019, Boozer became Assistant Superintendent of the Alabama State Banking Department and a member of Governor Ivey's Study Group on Gambling Policy. On October 1, 2021, Ivey reappointed Boozer as State Treasurer for the remainder of John McMillan's term, McMillan having resigned to serve as the executive director of the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission. Boozer was reelected to the office in 2022.

Electoral history

Name Boozer's combined given name and surname are the same as the humorous phrase "young boozer", which would refer to a young person who habitually drinks alcohol. In April 2010, The Tonight Show mentioned Boozer in a segment, with host Jay Leno poking fun at his unique name. Boozer, who was at that time seeking to be elected for State Treasurer of Alabama, reacted by admitting that his name does get attention but expressed a desire for people to focus on his qualifications for the role. He later described the shoutout as "the best thing that ever happened to me" and mentioned that local university students were grabbing his roadside campaign signs and putting them up in dorm rooms and frat house bars.